Means for calculating the ratio of variable quantities



Oct. 28, 1930. A, L U ET AL 1,779,774

MEANS FOR CALCULATING THE RATIO OF VARIABLE QUANTITIES Filed May '7, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet Bf Qua Patented Oct. 28, 19 30 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GE OBGE ALFRED \TULIUS AND AWDRY F RANCIS JULIUS, OF SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA MEANS FOR CALCULATING THE RATIO OF VARIABLE QUANTITIES Application filed Kay 7, 1929, Serial No. 881,240, and in Australia January 29, 1929.

This invention relates to means and appatransmission of the movements to an indiratus for automatically calculating and incator; and dicatin progressively and continuously the Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view of a device ratio two varying quantities or values, for ,for stabilizing the quotient arm when it is example, steam used in relation to' horse at or near the zero (vertical) position. 55

power output in a power plant, or sales in deis a lead screw which is driven directly partments of a store as compared with the from or in synchronism with a counter or in- 'total sales of the store. In the latter case, one dicator on which the grand total or arithmetunit would be allocated to register the sales ical dividend number is registered. 11 is a 10 in each department and the indicator of each lead screw which is similarly driven from the no individual unit would display progressively indicator or counter which registers the diand continuously the ratio between the revisor number. Thus, in the case ofatotalizaspective department sales and the total sales tor, the lead screw 10 will be driven from the of all the departments. grand total Wheel or shaft of the totalizator 15 The invention has special utility in connecand the lead screw 11 from a horse total wheel 65 tion with betting totalizators. It is associator shaft of the totalizator. The problem to ed with these machines for the purpose of inwhich the invention is addressed is to provide dicating to the public continuously during a device for indicating the ratio between the the operation of the totalizator the odds dividend figure and the divisor figure which would be payable on each horse if the While eitheror both those figures are progres- 70 race were run at th mom nt at whi h th sively changing so as to represent the quotient figures are read by the observer. for the time being as a simple fraction. 12

Th mechanism is interg r d with or is is the quotient arm; it is caused to take an an synchronously controlled by the mechanisms gular position according to the relative rotawhich actuate the individual total counters tional movements of the lead screws 10 and 75 and the grand total counter, and the ratios 11, and its angular movement is transmitted b t th grand t tal record (l a y and applied mechanically to a direct reading predetermined deduction) and the sev ral indial or other convenient form of indicator. dividual totals (which ratios vary from 1110- The rotary dial is a most convenient form of t t t) are i di at d i lt 1ndicator, but obviously a linear type of inso eusly 011 th i divid al i di t di l dicator might be used instead of a dial. In-

V In practice the sought-for ratio is obtained termediate between the dividend lead screw by the operation of a mechanical device which he grand total Wheel or Shaft 100 from is represented in th p cific hani d which the dividend lead screws 10 are driven, ib d b l gearing is introduced; similar gearing may In the accompanying drawings be introduced in thedriVe the divisor lead Fig. 1 is aside elevational view of mechani- Screw thls gearlng 13 15 0f the Change Cal apparatus embodying the invention; wheel type such as is commonly used in lathes and its purpose is to reduce the rotaa gg g zg j ig l f i zg ifziggi 2: tions (if the lead screw with which it is associin Fi 1 ated in relation to the rotations of the driving Fin 4 is a partial side elevational view element to provlde appropnately for any deshowing the Parts which are displayed in ductions which are required to be made from the dividend before it is split up into quo- 4 1 as y appear at the commencement tients, or to provide for variation in the diof movement of w pp l Whllst h two visor value. In totalizator practice, certain figures quantltlesa the mtlos 0f Whlch are percentages are taken from the total investtO be indicated, are at infinity ZerO; ment to cover operating expenses, commis- Figs. 5 and 6 are semi-diagrammatic views sion, taxes, and the like. Thus, for instance,

5 showing other alternative devices for the if the total of these deductions amount to 12 of the invested total, the change gearing 13, which is shown in side elevation in 2, is proportioned to cause the shaft 10 to turn 87 times for each 100 turns of the driving element. If at any time the deduction percentage is requiredlitojhe altered orif the dial is required to indicate a split quotient, for place betting, it is necessary only to alter the ratio of the drive by readj ustment, or substitution of'wheels in the change ears, ing 13 in the manner well known to't'urners'.

14 is an intermediate shaftqand15 a chain or other positive drive mechanism, and 16 a hevel Wheel transmission .:intermediate 2 the totalizator equipment], because itfisnecessary to'sfliow-for each and'ev'ery horse inth'e' race what odds are offered fhy the *totaliZator machine on each'particularliorse at anynioment during the progress "ofjt h'e betting; Obvious 1y; each one-of these mid finding equipments operateindepende'ntly of all the others inthe system,'though the major lead screws 10in an "ofth'ein 'are dr'iven fromone shaft which gets moti'onfrom the grand total register. fTheii' independence is essential because the investor is'concerned in'any reading of-a dialonl'y with the odds offered on one" individual horse' to which thatdial' relates, and he ascertains "by observation f the dials for each and an; of the horses separatel'y what oddsis'availabl'e at any particular moment on each particular horse. The ratio which determines the odds for eachhorse is ascertained from the angular' position of the'quotient arm 12 iii the unit relating to that horse."--* Q The "lead screw nut 20 iI1"thei carriag'e'-19 works-on the'lead screw; 10'. Thejaw' 'of this nut 20 is locked and" unlocked as req'uired by a hand piece QI'an'dthe jiawlis-norinally held 'closedby a spring 22. Anyrletail of constructionsuch as used infanytyne oflathe for engaging the carriage to the lead screw may be used at this position; "A sirnilarlead screw" carriage 23'an'd nut 23*woi'rks on"the shaft 11'. Fig.3 shows the detail 'of a satisfactory arrangementfOrfthis purposeythis figure being a seotionon' the'plan'e33 Fig; 1." Thequotient arm l2 ispivotally carried at or near'the bottomend of it on then'ut carriage 19 and one side ofthe quotientarni bears against a support 30 whichis' fixed on theiei'd nut carriage'23i Theangularposition ofthe quotient "arm 12 "will vary according to "the relative positions of th'ej carriages 19 anch23 n h sc e l ij d 11 r fivlyiii i Thelead'sc'rews 10 and' l-l are disposed at 41 1 1 6 1;M11 elow i i-pivo innt -2 as bei t Chantal-weight; Thetbjetti this "counterwei ht 1s to cause the quotient arm 12 -:;:.t b en downwardln again t; the pp which is carried by the carriage 23. The

bearing of this supp-ortis taken on the inner edge 29 of the quotient arm; the support ,consistsfofa' rocking frame-30fcarrie'don a pivot 31fand'fittedwith maimuefrsseand 33, *The tangent from the faces of these wheels 32%33 represe'n ed by- "the flieredge 29 {of the quotientarm- 12 p'asses through the centre of the pivot {31 in allpositions of the quotient arm; The coiint'rweight 28 v j 'operat'es' "to mageeo' mar-its straight dge 291 the ,ockingsupp rtjQwheeIs 33 31M332 'c ifo is wound over a snail cam 42 fwhiehis fixed pulleyfonth-spindleofthdial-43"iirsucha wayfso" as to emisethaespmdl toium imhe 'dirction indicated by the arrow and ams'w hold the flexible wire cord 39' alwaygfin'i der tensions {The x nsienarmamight be omitted *aiidth'jockey ivheeh3'8 thncaf'fid on" an ezitension time quotient"? its pivot 25. T v

The cord 39 may be'. brought'over a cylindrical-drum on the dial spindle, but when it is required to differently 'spa'ce'the' figures on the diahorto space the lowrati'os wider-apart ,1 to 'exhibitithem more clearly than the higher ratios or vice versa, the snail cam, arrangeg men-t 42 1S: a-convenient transmission device. It wi 'be-u rs edfith tiwh th ratioii h g irhi h will h ppen-1 w en x the grand tc fle sc ew; IlQ a 'ad arge ni e of. rotati s 'sndly he: n riduel b aL -l ad scre'wlljhasfiriade jvery'f" r tio. o gth i i l behigli; rea c ditions are the reverse,"andf'equality is H reached or exceeded in the ratio to be displayed, the ratio will fall towards zero. When the ratio is say or. 1, a close reading may not .be necessary, particularly for totali zator apparatus, but when the odds shown are short, approaching equality or-going below it, a closer reading may be very desirable. The cam arrangement 42 permits of the indicator dial 43 being moved through a greater angle on one part of the scale to provide for this desirable condition.

Fig. 4 shows the position of the quotient arm 12 with its bearing edge 29 exactly parallel with the inner side of the dividend lead screw 10, which is at the zero position, and

with the individual divisor lead screw 11 to an angular position; the" zero or starting position is shown in Fig. 4 and an intermediate position is shown in Fig. 1. When the parts are in the Fig. 4 (zero) position, the dial 43 indicates infinity or zero; as the quotient arm 12 assumes an angular position the counterbalance arm 27 tilts and slacks away the flexible cord 39; this cord is then wound over the cam 42 as the hand of the dial 43 is rotated by the weight 44 or by any other drive arrangement which may besubstituted for the weight, but, as before described, when the cam 42 is not used, the cord 39 is wound over a drum on the spindle of the dial 43.

. The ratio to be indicated is found by the angular tilt of the quotient arm 12, this angular tilt depending upon the relative movements' of the carriages 19 and 23 respectively as they move along the lead screws 10 and 11 in different directions.

At the infinity or starting position the centre of the pivot 25 will be in alignment with the centre of the carriage pivot 31 and the contact faces of'the riding rollers 32-33 will be in alignment. The. quotient arm 12 then standing vertically, with its pivot level with the lateral bearing, will .be in unstable equilibrium. Provision is, therefore, made for affording a temporary support for the quotient arm until the carriage 19 has moved some distance and has thus provided a normal supoprt for the arm, as seen in Fig. 1; this temporary support consists of a bearer roller 51 which is slidable along a guide bar 52 and is attached at 53 to a continuous belt 54. At the outer end this belt runs over a jockey wheel 55 and at the inner end over a pulley 56. A counterweight 6O hanging on a flexible cord 61 runs over. a drum 62 attached to the pulley 55 or belted to the pulley 56. The cord 61 is connected to the arm 57. This arm is fixed on the spindle of a device 58 of the spring anddash ot door closer type which is arranged to pull slowly on the cord 61 and through the drum 62 to rotate the pulley 55 in the direction indicated by the arrow and thus to retire the roller 51 and leave thequotient arm 12 free to bear against the roller supports 3233 on the lead screw carriage 23. The finger or roller 51 is set by reversely winding the belt 54 by turning a hand crank 63 until the quotient arm 12 is erect, and a stop piece 90 on the arm 57 is engaged in the check 91 in a trigger 92 which rocks on a pivot 93. The other end of this trigger 92 is in the path of a striker 94 on the lead nut carriage 19. When the nut 20 in the carriage 19 is lifted to top or zero position (see Fig. 4), the cap being then open, the striker 94 passes the trigger, but in the descent of the carriage 19 the striker 94 trips the trigger, and thus liberating the spring moved arm 57 to procure movement of the belt 54, whereby the roller 51 is retired to leave the quotient arm free to tilt about its pivot 25.

When the lead screws 10 and 11 commence rotation, the carriages 19 and 23 will move away from the zero position, and the arm 12 will move down, but the quotient arm 12 will for the time being remain in the vertical position. Consequently, there will be no movement displayed on the dial 43; but after the rotation of the lead screw 10 has progressed very slightly, the ta'ppet 94 will strike down the trigger 92 and release the pull arm 57. The support roller 51 will then be run down the guide 52 by the movement of the belt 54, and the quotient arm 12 will then bear against the carrier wheels 3233 on the carriage 23 and-the quotient arm will tilt accordingly, slacking away the cord 39 and thus ellecting rotation of the hand of the dial 43. The weight tensions the cord 61.

The shaft extends through all the mechanisms in the installation, but the trigger and pull-off gear (Fig. 7) is fitted only on one of these mechanisms; it is not necessary to fit it on more than one of them as all the major lead screws 10 in the assembly rotate together and must all start at zero position. When the resetting crank 63 is operated all the checks 51 are reset at zero position (see Figs. 4 and 7) simultaneously.

The sought-for ratio which is displayed on the dial 43 is obtained by translation of the angular movement of the quotient arm; this angular movement depends upon the relative movement of the carriages 19 and 23 on their respective lead screws. As these lead screws are rotated to move their respective nuts proportionately to the registrations on the grand total counter and on a horse total counter of a totalizator (or correspond ing elements in other installations) subject to any deduction efi'eoted by the action of intermediatechange gear, the angular position of the quotient arm 12 at any particular moment will correspond with the desired ratio and the dial 43 will at all times display .10 and 11 are set in relation to each other at any other angle than a rightangle there will be a corresponding difference in the angle taken up by the quotient arm 12 in any particular circumstances, and this difference may be compensated by appropriately altering the proportions of the snail cam 42 or the diameter of the drum overwhich the flexible cord 39 runs, and at the, same time, by appropriately correcting the calibrations in the indicator dial.

It is important that the inner edge 29 of the quotient arm 12 shall be in alignment with the axis of the pivot 25 and that it shall also pass through the centre of pivot 31 in all circumstances; otherwise a correctangular movement will not be obtained in the quotient arm and the indicator would not display the ratio with precise correctness. The

rocking carriage device 32- 33 shown in Fig. 1 makes the necessary mechanical provision for ensuring the correct angular positioning of the quotient arm in correspondence with the relative positions of the carriages 19 and 23 on their respective lead screws 10 and 11.

The odds proportion or ratio is determined solely by the angular position of the'quotient arm irrespectively of the range of movement of the lead screw nuts on the lead screws. Thus, for instance, if a ratio 1:1 is shown on the indicator when the quotient arm stands at 45, it is of no account whether the lead screw nuts are close up to or far distant from the crossing position of the two lead screws, for so long as the proportion between the total figures is the same it is of no consequence whether these figures be large or small and the same angle will result. Therefore, throughout the whole range of operation of the device a uniform condition prevails. that is to say, the angular position of the quotient arm determines the ratio of the two quantities to be compared, and his angular position is translated onto a dial or other indicator, the movement of which can be readily observed. 1

It is obviously not necessary that the angular movement of the quotient arm 12 should be communicated to the indicator dial 43 by the particular pull cord arrangement which has been described. Instead of this pull cord arrangement the quotient arm 12 (Fig. 5) may be provided with a tail extension piece having a roller 71 on the end of it; this roller operates against a bar 72 which is supported on parallel links 7 3 and 7 4 and is heldback by bridle springs 7576 and is connected by a flexible line 77 to a drum 78 on an indicator dial 79, this dial being turned by a weight 80 or otherwise. In this 'case, as the quotient arm 12' tilts, the wheel 71 presses outward, tensioning the springs 75 and 76 and moving the bar 72 outward, thus pulling the line 77 and rotating the dial 79. I In another alternative transmission device (Fig. 6) the quotient arm 12- has associated with it a parallel motion device 82 identical with that commonly used on draftsmans drawing tables. The butt 83 of this device is fixed to the quotient arm 12 across the pivot 25,v so that the tilt of the quotient arm is transmitted through the parallel motion linkages in the well-known way and is utilized to turn a roller 84 over which a cord 85 is wound; this cord corresponds with the cord 77 and is carried over a drum on a dial spindle in the same way, and the rotation of the wheel 84: obediently to the alteration in angular tilt in the quotient arm 12 is thus transmitted to a dial or other indicator.

As far as this description of the apparatus has gone, itprovides only for the movement of an indicator dial 43 or 79 which would allow the straight-out ratio between two numbers which would represent in a totalizator the odds that an investor would expect to receive it he invested his money as a straight-out bet on the particular horse represented by the indicator funder his observation. p

When the device is to operate to indicate a plurality of ratios, as for place betting, the change gear train (Fig. 2) is moved in the well known manner to bring the appropriate wheels into motion for the purpose of altering the rotations of the major lead screw 10 in relation to the driving shaft 100 which comes from the grand total register. If, for instance, place betting is carried on on the basis of 60% to the 1st horse, 20% to the 2nd, and 20% to the 3rd, the change wheels are proportioned accordingly to bring out on the dial the ratio in respect of the first horse. The betting public will know from the rule that there will be paid in respect of the 2nd horse and the 3rd horse one third of the dividend indicated for the 1st horse. With such an arrangement, which will be readily understood by the public, it becomes unnecessary to load the dial or other indicator with a series of figures, one range of figures being enough for all practical purposes. The change in the gear train can be eifected by an instant movement to set the apparatus according to the ratios it is desired to show. It is necessary only to provide one set of change gear for the whole installation, as through this gearing the number of rotations made by the major lead screw-1O in proportion to the number of rotations made in the same time by the grand total register spindle 100 is so controlled that the correct ratio for the particular circumstances is always found from the angular position of the quotient arm 12.

It is necessary that there should be .certainty in the setting up of all the devices in the installation at the zero position, as otherwise a false indication might be given on one or more of the dials. In order therefore to ensure ceitainty in this regard an electrical check is provided upon the lead screw 10. A metal contact 101 is carried on an insulating sleeve on the lead screw 10 and a brush 102 co-acts with this contact when the contact is in one certain position, this posit-ion being that on which all the grand total lead screws hold the carriages 19 exactly at zero position. In order to assure that the carriage 19 is brought to the top thread, another contact 103 in series with the contact 101 is provided; this contact 103 is only closed when it is engaged by a contact 103* on the top end of the nut carriage 19. Simultaneously a contact 106 also in series with the contacts 101 and 103 is provided to co-act with a contact 106 on the lead nut carriage 23. The series circuit goes through a signal lamp or other indicator 105, or may be to a check device of any other kind for preventing the operation of the mechanism until everything is in readiness for operation of the ratio indicators. All the contacts 101, 103, and 106 throughout the system are in series, and consequently if any one of them should be open, the signal or control device 105 will not be operated and the operation of mechanisms associated with the ratio indicating system cannot be commenced. The control means 105 for preventingcommencement of operations is any form of electromagnetic lock or out out which is adapted to hold the operating circuits of the associated mechanisms open until all the serial circuits 101, 103 and 106 in the ratio indicator system have been completed.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Apparatus for the purposes set forth, comprising two lead screws rotatable in fixed bearings in angular relation to each other, a clamp nut carrier on each of said lead screws, a counterbalanced quotient arm pivotally mounted on one of said carriers and bearing against a support on the other of them, a jockey pulley on said arm, and a flexible line carried over fair lead pulleys on the carrier on which the arm is pivotally mounted and reeved over said jockey pulley and thence connected to an indicator, said indicator being adapted to display figures or other indicia in correspondence with the angular movement of the quotient arm resulting from the traverse of the carrier nuts along their respective leadscrews.

2. In combination with apparatus according to claim 1, a trip device co-acting with a tappet on one of the carriers and operatively connected to a device adapted for temporarily supporting the quotient arm in such manner as to set up said temporary support when the apparatus is brought to the starting position and to free said support and liberate the quotient arm after movementof one of the carriers has progressed to a predetermined position on its lead screw.

3. Apparatus for the purposes set forth, comprising two lead screws rotatable in fixed bearings in angular relation to each other, a clamp nut carrier on each of said lead screws, a support, a counterbalanced quotient arm pivotally mounted on one of said carriers and bearingagainst said support, said support comprising a. rocking member pivotally mounted on the other of said carriers, and two rollers mounted on said rocking member, one edge of said quotient arm bearing tangentially on said rollers and intersecting the axes of the pivot mounts of said rocking support and said arm, a jockey pulley on said arm, and a flexible line carried over fair lead pulleys on the carrier on which the arm is pivotally mounted and reeved over said jockey pulley and thence connected to an indicator, said indicator being adapted to display figures or other indicia in correspondence with the angular movement of the quotient arm resulting from the traverse of the carrier nuts along their respective lead screws.

4. Apparatus for the purposes set forth, comprising two lead screws rotatable in fixed bearings in angular relation to each other, a clamp nut carrier on each of said lead screws, a support, a counterbalanced quotient arm pivotally mounted on one of said carriers and bearing against said support, said support comprising a rocking member pivotally mounted on the other of said carriers, and two rollers mounted on said rocking member, one edge of said quotient arm bearing tangentially on said rollers and intersecting the axes of the pivot mountings of said rocking support and said arm, and means including a flexible line for communicating the movements of said arm to an indicator, said indicator being adapted to display figures or other indicia in correspondence with the angular movement of the quotient arm resulting from the traverse of the carrier nuts along their respective lead screws.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1 in which the quotient arm is pivotally mounted on one of the carriers and bears against a rocking support pivotally mounted on the other carrier, said rocking support adapted to offer a true bearing for the arm, thereby to ensure that the angular movement of the arm is in exact correspondence with the relative movements of the two carriers.

6. In apparatus according to claim 1, means for temporarily supporting the quotient arm in vertical position until a predetermined movement has taken place in the position of one of the carriers.

In testimony whereof we afix our signatures.

GEORGE ALFRED JULIUS. AW'DRY FRANCIS JULIUS. 

